Telehealth prescriptions

[Jazzy]

The Biden administration moved Friday to require patients see a doctor in person before getting attention deficit disorder medication or addictive painkillers, toughening access to the drugs against the backdrop of a deepening opioid crisis.

The proposal could overhaul the way millions of Americans get some prescriptions after three years of relying on telehealth for doctor’s appointments by computer or phone during the pandemic.

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Does your doctor have to see you in person to get a prescription?

 

[Messy]

For something like that, at least the first time, yes. You can get nicotin patches without seeing a doctor and just by having a few talks with a coach. Then you get em for free here, so everyone stops smoking. But you can also buy that in a grocery store.

 

[Jazzy]

Any new prescription requires a doctor visit.

 

[Lamb]

I can get some prescriptions by seeing my doctor "online" and that's a video call using their portal. I think that any opiods need an office visit though but I'm not sure? I try to avoid those and even after my last surgery I wanted to fight getting a prescription, but they say it's hospital policy to make their patients comfortable, if the need arises at home when pain is bad. So I agreed to I think 4 or 5 pills and never used them.

 

[tango]

I can get some prescriptions by seeing my pastor "online" and that's a video call using their portal. I think that any opiods need an office visit though but I'm not sure? I try to avoid those and even after my last surgery I wanted to fight getting a prescription, but they say it's hospital policy to make their patients comfortable, if the need arises at home when pain is bad. So I agreed to I think 4 or 5 pills and never used them.

Your pastor writes prescriptions?

Seriously, I'd agree that a first prescription for opioids should require a visit in person. If they are for post-surgery pain relief then the fact the person has had surgery should be enough - presumably they were there in person for the surgery so offering something for the pain afterwards doesn't seem unreasonable.

It's hard to know how to strike a balance between offering something for the pain even if it may not be required, with controlling the availability of addictive painkillers. If you didn't need the pain meds there's no way anyone can know whether you dropped them off at one of the places to surrender unwanted medications, or sold them to someone on a street corner.

There's also a balance between handing out too many pills at once and leaving someone endlessly running back to the pharmacy, with all the associated issues if they want to go away on vacation at a time that doesn't neatly align with prescription refills.

 

[Lamb]

Your pastor writes prescriptions?

Seriously, I'd agree that a first prescription for opioids should require a visit in person. If they are for post-surgery pain relief then the fact the person has had surgery should be enough - presumably they were there in person for the surgery so offering something for the pain afterwards doesn't seem unreasonable.

It's hard to know how to strike a balance between offering something for the pain even if it may not be required, with controlling the availability of addictive painkillers. If you didn't need the pain meds there's no way anyone can know whether you dropped them off at one of the places to surrender unwanted medications, or sold them to someone on a street corner.

There's also a balance between handing out too many pills at once and leaving someone endlessly running back to the pharmacy, with all the associated issues if they want to go away on vacation at a time that doesn't neatly align with prescription refills.

LOL I need to edit my post, don't I? I don't know why I wrote that! I meant doctor of course.

 

[tango]

LOL I need to edit my post, don't I? I don't know why I wrote that! I meant doctor of course.

I figured that was probably the case. I guess it's one way to get more people to go to church though

 

[Forgiven1]

I can get some prescriptions from my doctor by texting him. IF he wants me to come in to the office, he tells me that.